The New HG Book and Weight Watchers, Plus Chia Snacks!

I'm about to go pick up a copy of your new book, and I am ridiculously excited! Just one Q: Does the book include the Weight Watchers PointsPlus® value for each recipe?

MAXimum Excitement

Hi MAXimum Excitement,

Yay! So glad you're excited. HUNGRY GIRL TO THE MAX! The Ultimate Guilt-Free Cookbook just hit store shelves yesterday, and it's by far the LARGEST and BEST HG cookbook ever. There are 650 recipes (not a typo -- 650!!!). You'll find all the classics, along with HUNDREDS of brand-new recipes! I get excited just writing about it...

To answer your question, the PointsPlus® values for ALL of the recipes in the book can be found on our book site. That's right -- we did the work for you and crunched numbers until our fingers cramped. (There were a lot of recipes to calculate!) You'll also find a complete rundown of the chapters in the book and the recipes in each chapter. But the absolute best part about the book site? There's a beauteous color photo of every single recipe!!! There are over a hundred full-color photos in the book as well.

If you own any other HG cookbooks, you can find all of the same info at our book site. Click here to explore!

I love Weight Watchers, and I know lots of HG subscribers do too, so it was super important to me that the PointsPlus® values be available. Speaking of Weight Watchers, have you heard about the surprise goodies and cool contest on the HG tour? Every Weight Watchers member who attends one of this year's book-signing events will receive a free goodie! (Just bring proof of membership, like your username or membership card.) And at the end of the tour, the WW community with the MOST members at an event will win a HUGE box of HG items! And for those of you reading this who aren't WW members, worry not -- there'll be LOADS of free snacks and other surprises for everyone! Click here for ALL of the tour 411. Tonight's event is in NYC, and tomorrow's is in Huntington, Long Island! Hope to see you soon...

Hi Lisa,

I keep hearing about chia seeds and how they're supposed to be really good for you. What's your take on them, and do you have any suggestions for ways to enjoy them?

Charmed by Chia

Hi Charmed,

Chia seeds are definitely trendy these days. They're also packed with good-for-you stuff: fiber, protein, omega-3s, and more. Plus, they expand when added to liquid, which can help you feel full. The texture is a little odd -- the seeds sort of develop a gel-like bubble around 'em when they expand -- but once you get past that, they're actually pretty good. A tablespoon of the seeds themselves has about 60 calories and 4.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 2*). You can buy them loose in a bag and add them to oatmeal, yogurt, and even drinks. But I prefer to enjoy them in packaged products, since there are so many great-tasting options out there, and you don't have to worry about over-scooping your seeds.

Health Warrior Chia Bars are probably my favorite chia find. Each one has just 100 - 110 calories and 4 - 6g fat (PointsPlus® value 3*), and they come in Chocolate Peanut Butter, Coconut (my favorite!), and Acai Berry. You can find 'em at Whole Foods. Another good pick is KIND Healthy Grains Maple Walnut Clusters with Chia & Quinoa -- it's a super-delicious granola-like snack that's perfect over some fat-free yogurt. A 1/3-cup serving has 130 calories and 3.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 3*). My newest obsession, though, is a beverage called Drink Chia! -- it comes in fruity flavors, like Strawberry Citrus and Honeysuckle Pear, with chia seeds floating around inside. Each 8-oz. bottle has only 40 calories, plus 2g fiber (PointsPlus® value 1*). It's mostly available on the East Coast, but you can get an awesome sample pack online for a pretty great price.

Heads up! Just because something has chia seeds in it does not automatically mean it's guilt-free. I've seen lots of sugary beverages and snacks out there with chia seeds that have WAY too many calories. Read those labels carefully! BTW, another buzzworthy, omega-packed seed worth trying? Flax! You can find it in everything from milk swaps to flatbreads to tortilla chips. Hooray for guilt-free options!

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*The PointsPlus® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.